Fresh Direct: You Had Me at Hello

In New York City, you can have pretty much anything delivered . . . usually for a fee, of course, but if you're willing to pay it, someone is willing to deliver it.  We had heard about Fresh Direct, a grocery delivery service, long before we moved to the City, but were hesitant to try it out because we figured it would be a little too expensive for our one income/student budget.  So we spent the first few weeks trying to find the cheapest grocery store on the Upper West Side.  We hit up Trader Joes, known for its reasonable prices in San Diego, and realized that the prices were pretty comparable here.  Next we tried Fairway, an Upper West Side institution.  At Fairway, you can choose your produce from either outside the store or inside it.  But if you select blueberries from the outdoor produce stand, you better be sure to tell the cashier that's where you got them, or rest assured she'll be charging you the higher inside price.  While Fairway has a vast selection, the store is very cramped and filled with unfamiliar East Coast brands.  Then about a week ago, when we were too tired to make the trek to Trader Joes, we finally caved into the temptation of ordering our groceries online and having them delivered to our doorstep.  Enter Fresh Direct.  In less than 30 minutes, we had filled our "shopping cart" with all of the groceries we needed that week, including cleaning supplies and a few prepared, microwave only meals, all from the comfort of our couch.  The next morning, we received our groceries from the delivery man.  And just like that, I was hooked.  I'm pretty sure I'll never set foot in a grocery store for the next two years.